It looks like the dumping has started.

I regularly trawl through the Minolta section of fleabay UK to see

what is on offer. Lately the offerings seem to have featured some of

the more exotic glass that I have not seen come up before. There have

been a number of multiple offerings from the same sellers which look

like a whole kit is being disposed of.

 

Recent rare sightings :- 35 f1.4 G -- 85 f1.4 G & non-G -- 200 f2.8

APO -- 300 f2.8 APO -- 600 f4 APO -- 80-200 f2.8 APO -- 100-400

f4.5/6.7 APO.

 

A couple of sellers made mention of the Sony link and one was on the

lines of "perhaps I should wait for Sony but I seem to have been

waiting so long already that I think it is time to go".

 

It seems that at least here in the UK the exodus is under way but I

suppose we can draw some comfort from the fact that all the items

have sold or have bids on them so a hard-core still exists. Any signs

elsewhere ?

 

( I find the 600 very interesting as I seriously wondered if any/many

had ever been sold )

Except for the 600/4 and to some degree the 300/2.8, these lenses are not that rare. I've seen them regularly at eBay even before the merger with Konica. I would not call than an exodus.

I found it unusual to see peoples complete kits going and interesting to see the Sony comments. It seems that the less rare of the ones I listed are becoming even less rare ( i.e. more common ) but again there were more of them as part of a kit rather than as one-off items.

 

I did say it appeared to have started but perhaps exodus is too strong a word at present - perhaps "slippage" would be more accurate.

I say sell sell sell, cause I am buying, buying, buying.

 

If certain people want to sell their good stuff, I just hope I can picked something up cheap, and so far I have.

 

Let the fire sale begin.

 

Another comment is that people need to get a grip, a minolta grip for the 7D, pretty cheap now. HAHAHAHAHA

Until just a few moments ago, I haven't browsed ebay.

 

Yes, I concur. The prices are indeed 'softening'.

There's been some discussion about new lenses from Sony over on dyxum and, I think, dpreview. Nothing concrete, but maybe a little bit to fuel some "hmmm, maybe I ought to get rid of my lenses now while they're still worth a lot" ...

 

I personally just dumped quite a few lenses. I had a kit worth $6000+ used ... in the last three years (since our daughter was born) I haven't done any nature photography to speak of. And honestly, while I think the Sony future is bright, I also have a couple of lingering concerns, like whether they'll eventually go with an all-SSM lineup (there were rumors of an all-SSM hi-res interchangeable lens *video* offering; I doubt they'd go all-SSM across the board for still image DSLRs for a long time) or come out with newer, more affordable, possibly sharper Di lenses ... So the time was right to consider whether I wanted to let that investment in gear collect dust for a few more years before I get back into nature photography. In the end, I reduced the kit to 6 lenses (I actually bought two as I was selling), and put a little over $2000 in the bank. And I just couldn't part with the 200/4 or the 400/4.5. I think the market has a lot of people desperate for lenses that KM isn't producing (since SOny isn't saying what they'll be doing) and some of us taking stock of just how much we want to have tied up in the new Sony system.

 

80-200's have been pretty rare in light of the news; about the only people unloading them have been the lucky few who have upgraded to the SSM lens. 200/2.8s seem to be fairly frequent and not going for huge sums. The 300's & 600's are fairly rare, but I haven't seen them going more frequently than in the past ... though I have seen them finally getting decent money (a year or more ago, you'd be lucky to get $4000 for a used 600 !). No real comments on 35's or 85's as I never paid much attention to them.

 

- Dennis

Some interesting points ( mostly ). What would be interesting to know is how big the Minolta user base in the UK is, but I doubt that this information is available.

Bill, interesting to see. I got SHOUTED at when I made the same suggestion a couple of weeks ago. These three high value lenses on ebay uk are fairly dodgy though. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/300mm-F4-auto-focus-Minolta-lens-as-new-boxed_W0QQitemZ7592935128QQcategoryZ3342QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Would you buy a 1000gbp lens from someone with 2 feedback points. Not sure it's a rush yet, but I'm really not sure that Sony has any wish to "look after" us as people keep suggesting. There aren't enough of us and most have gone already.

Ivan - never any real need to shout. I wonder who it was - no don't tell me I can probably guess :)

 

As regards the sellers - we all have to start somewhere but for that sort of outlay I would seriously consider requiring an inspection before settlement even if it meant a journey. If the seller did not agree then I would consider that a good reason to bail out.

 

Whilst I have some understanding of the problems involved it does take quite a bit of patience to just sit tight.

The final prices paid would be a more reliable indicator of some kind of exodus than simply some kind of offer to sell. The more common the lens, the less indicative it is of anything. Take a rare lens that used to hold value well and those plummet, then there may be something to consider.

 

FWIW, I doubt the best way to make up your mind is to simply follow the crowds. Of course, if one chooses to buy or sell equipment on popularity and not on effectivity for one's own uses, it's hard to see why that person didn't fleet to the fluffy comfort of the crowds of Canon users years ago.

I recently picked up a kit with a Dynax 800si, sigma 24 F2.8, Sigma 70-210 f2.8, Minolta 35-105 f3.5-4.5, Tamron 2x tele-converter, and Minolta 5600HS flash, uv filters and circular polarizers for all the lenses, various filters and close-up lenses for the 35-105 and a Gossen Luna-Pro SBC meter for $750 on theBay. I also just missed out on a Maxxum 7, with a Tamron 28-75 f2.8 XR DI LD, and Minolta 100-300 f4.5-5.6 that went for $595. I then purchased a used bargain rated Tamron 28-105 f2.8 for $225 at KEH. I think that the sell off is well under way!! I am looking to expand my lens selection right now, pick up a nice Maxxum 7 to complement my 7D, and then get rid of my other film cameras (400si, 500si, Dynax 800si, and Maxxum 800si) and some of my less stellar lenses and flashes in kits in the local paper, and fund the buying of some of the goodies coming available!!!

Craig - my thoughts were provoked by seeing more whole kits and better quality glass appearing that I remember on fleabay UK before. In addition the comments about Sony are a new departure.

 

It is difficult to tell if the prices are going down if one does not have any previous guide to go on so I cannot comment on this. As I said it has more to do with perceived changes in what is becoming available and not any price collapse.

 

I agree that one buys into the quality of a system if at all possible but the future of that system will have a bearing on peoples views. It is understandable that some people have less patience than others and ( despite the valid reasons for hearing nothing so far ) feel that they have waited long enough.

 

As I said before it would be nice to have some idea of the Minolta user base in the UK for the more modern equipment but this I doubt we will ever know. One could make some form of assumption based on the recent market share information ( pre departure of KM ) which indicates that canikon has some 90% and KM was in the pot with others for the remaining 10%.

Bill one question, could it be that you are now looking on ebay more often then before because of the KM pull out. Which is why you are seeing more items more often.

 

I only say this because you say fleabay, which would inicate that you do not like it and thus would not be a frequent visitor.

 

On my Australian ebay and the US, I look daily for over a year now, I see no increase in what is being sold.